1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grass collection container for a lawnmower. More specifically, the present invention relates to a grass collection container that collects grass that has been cut by a rotating cutting blade of the lawnmower and carried by a flow of air. At least one section of the grass collection container includes an air-permeable region that allows air to flow therethrough but does not allow the grass to pass therethrough.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, grass collection containers are often made by sewing cloth into the form of a bag, and the whole or a part of the cloth section is the air-permeable region.
Grass collected in a conventional grass collection container during a mowing operation is disposed of by shaking the container after the operation. However, a disadvantage of the conventional container is that grass and organic materials that have been trapped in gaps in the cloth bag, which forms the container, often remain attached to the interior of the container. These attached materials decay comparatively easily and later result in an unpleasant odor. Also, the decayed materials discharge as dust during the next lawn mowing operation and give an unpleasant sensation to the operator.
The present invention has been developed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to provide a grass collection container for a lawnmower that reduces the occurrence of organic materials such as residual grass being trapped in the container and blocking the air-permeable region and therefore, to suppress decay, and lower the level of unpleasant odor.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a grass collection container for a lawnmower that includes an air-permeable region on at least one section thereof. The grass collection container collects grass that has been cut by a rotating cutting blade and carried by the flow of air. The air-permeable region allows air to flow therethrough, but does not allow the grass to pass therethrough. The air-permeable region further carries thereon a photocatalyst.
Since the air-permeable region is where air passes through the container, if the region is formed using, for example cloth, gaps in the cloth are easily blocked by grass and organic materials. The grass and organic materials that are trapped in the gaps in the cloth tend to remain attached to the interior of the grass collection container even after the grass collection container is shaken for emptying after mowing the lawn. Thus, if the above-mentioned region carries thereon a photocatalyst, the photocatalyst exhibits a catalytic function when exposed to sunlight to promote the photolysis of moisture attached to the cloth (including moisture in the air), thereby forming hydroxyl radicals (.OH). These hydroxyl radicals have both a high binding energy and a high oxidizing power, and therefore exhibit a sterilization effect against microbes and a purification effect by decomposing attached grass and organic materials. The hydroxyl radicals reduce the blockage of grass and debris in the air-permeable region thereby suppressing decay. The residual attached materials can be easily removed from the gaps in the cloth by the flow of air during the next mowing operation. In order to allow the photocatalyst to fully exhibit its catalytic function, it is desirable for the lawnmower to be placed where the grass collection container can be exposed to sunlight. The above-mentioned catalytic function of the photocatalyst can also be exhibited very effectively while the mowing operation is carried out under sunlight.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.